Additional funding needed for chair in ataxia research

When Jim Schindler passed away last year, he
left more than $1 million in his estate to the Bob
Allison Ataxia Research Center at the University of
Minnesota in memory of his old friend.

Schindler and Allison played minor league baseball
together in the 1950s. They remained friends
off the field for decades after that.

Schindler directed the money in his estate
toward the creation of an endowed chair, which
will be used to attract or keep top-notch ataxia
researchers at the University. Thanks to Schindler’s
generosity, funding for the position—called the James
Schindler and Bob Allison Ataxia Chair in Translational
Research—is now at about $1.3 million. But $2 million
is needed to realize the chair’s full potential.

Translational research, the process of turning
breakthroughs in the lab into new treatments for
patients, is crucial to scientific progress, says
ataxia researcher Harry T. Orr, Ph.D.

“Having an endowed chair in this area at the
University will ensure that translational research
is fostered here and that Minnesota remains at
the forefront of finding a cure for ataxia,” Orr
says. “The sooner we get this done, the sooner
we have something of use for patients.”

If you are interested in contributing to the
James Schindler and Bob Allison Ataxia Chair in
Translational Research, you can give online at
www.mmf.umn.edu/ataxia.